


Angels, Ghosts and Demons

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Ficlet, Fluff, Second War with Voldemort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-01
Updated: 2008-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-27 16:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10812501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: Percy finds redemption in a very odd place





	Angels, Ghosts and Demons

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Written for lady_lyca

Percy knew he’d end up back here eventually, but it had taken hours for what should have been a joyful family reunion but instead turned into an awkward wake to finish.  They didn’t want to let him go, and he didn’t blame them a bit.  He knew he was coming back, but they were right to wonder.

He’d pleaded exhaustion, which was certainly true, and a desire for a shower, which anyone who knew him and his fastidious nature wouldn’t question.  Actually, it was sort of odd that he’d been wearing the torn, dusty robes for as long as he had been, and even he could tell that he stank of sweat and smoke and grief. 

But he had to come back first, to see the spot where for one shining moment, he had known who he was and what he wanted and the future was filled with promise, impending battle be damned.   For the first time in his entire life, he’d had his brother’s approval (maybe even his admiration) and he was fighting beside him instead of against him.  It was almost pathetic how gratifying it had been.

Everything here was thickly coated in dust and debris, but if you looked closely enough, the floor told a tale.  There were odd markings on the stone that could have only been made by giant spiders, and there were boot prints running in every direction.  On the other side of the corridor, though, there was a gathering of footprints as if several people had stood in a circle, and then a long line in the dust where a body had been dragged.  He moved over to the suit of armor, where the dust had been disturbed yet again by a vaguely human shape. 

Standing over it, he let himself exhale, let himself fall apart, leaning against the wall and then finally slumping to the floor, burying his head in his hands.  He didn’t know how long he remained there, but he finally looked up as he heard a soft voice saying,  “Oh, you startled me.  For a minute, I thought that he’d come back, but I really didn’t think he was the sort to do it.”

Percy looked up and wondered if he was dreaming.  There was something angelic about the girl, but perhaps that had more to do with the way that the afternoon sun shone in the gap of the wall behind her and illuminated her hair.  Or maybe it was the dust that still floated throughout the corridor, giving the place a mystical feeling.  “Pardon me?”

She laughed.  “I thought you were Fred, for a minute.  Well you do look like a ghost, with your hair and face all gray.  But you’re really not all that much like him, are you?  And Fred wouldn’t be crying, would he?  He’d be laughing.  I really liked his laugh.  It was like music.”

She looked around with wide eyes.  “No, he’s not here, not at all.  He’d have gone on to his next adventure, wouldn’t he?”  She offered him a hand, and he took it automatically, finding her surprisingly strong as she helped him up.  Then she reached out to place her hand on his chest, and he couldn’t do anything but gape at her.  “He’s here, though, inside you.  You just have to look for him, that’s all.”

Percy blinked, wondering if he’d gone mad after all.  “Do I know you?”

“No, not at all,” she said, taking his glasses off his face and cleaning them with a spell.  

“I’m Luna Lovegood.  You must be the Weasley no one ever talked about.  It’s very nice to meet you, Percy. Do you think they’re serving lunch yet?”  She put his glasses back on his face, then took him by the hand and led him out of the corridor.  It never occurred to him not to follow her.


End file.
